3.3.1.2 Health Issues - Methanol is extremely
toxic.Exposure to very small amounts of methanol (less than
one cup)have been known to cause blindness and permanent injury
including death. Exposure to methanol can occur through inhalation
of vapor, or through ingestion or skin contact with the liquid
fuel.

Be careful not
to confuse ETHANOL with METHANOL!
Ethanol is a renewable energy fuel fuel made from sugar crops,
such as sugar cane and corn. Methanol, on the other hand is made
from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.

Below is an excerpt from an
important recent study from the U.S. Department of Transportation:

Clean Air Program -- Assessment
of the Safety, Health, Environmental and System Risks of Alternative
Fuels

Methanol 3.3.1 : General Description:
Methanol or methyl alcohol is a clear colorless liquid that can
be made from a variety of fossil fuel sources including coal and
natural gas. All methanol used commercially in the United States
is manufactured from natural gas because this is by far the most
economical feedstock. Wherever natural gas is unavailable methanol
is manufactured from coal.

3.3.1.2 Health Issues - Methanol is extremely toxic.Exposure
to very small amounts of methanol (less than one cup)have been
known to cause blindness and permanent injury including death.
Exposure to methanol can occur through inhalation of vapor,or
through ingestion or skin contact with the liquid fuel.

The toxic effects of methanol are the same regardless of themeans
of exposure. Considering the fact that methanol is quite volatile,
it is most likely that the typical route for exposureis through
inhalation of methanol vapors. The measure of fuel toxicity is
the threshold limit value (TLV). For methanol vapor, the TLV value
is 200 ppm, five times more toxic than other alternative fuels
volatile at normal ambient temperature.

The major environmental issues of concern with Methanol is
a fuel spill, particularly a spill that reaches a sewer or drainagesystem.
One of the physical properties of methanol that affectsfuel spills
is its water solubility. Normally, fuel handling facilitiesthat
have an emergency drain connecting to a sewer will have aseparator
to ensure that the fuel (gasoline or diesel) will notreach the
sewer. This approach will not work with methanol since it is soluble
in water and will pass directly through the separator.

Methods for separating methanol from water exist but they arequite
complex and costly. Due to methanol's extreme toxicity, the best
approach is to ensure that any spills in a facility are absolutely
prevented from entering any drain through the use of impoundment
systems to contain the entire volume of any potential above ground
spill. In a bulk transport situation there is obviously no way
to provide such assurance.

Often, methanol fuel is designated M-100 to identify it asessentially
100% pure methanol. A popular methanol blend composed of 85% methanol
and 15% unleaded gasoline is designated as M-85.

3.3.1.3 Safety Issues General Properties Affecting Hazards
One general physical characteristic that differentiates methanol
fromother fuels is its corrosive characteristics.

Methanol is incompatible with several types of materials normally
used in petroleum storage and transfer systems, including aluminum,magnesium,
rubberized components, and some other types of gasket and sealing
materials. Therefore it is necessary to take special precautions
to ensure that methanol is transported or stored in containers
and transfer lines that have been specifically selected for that
purpose.

The other significant difference between methanol and otherfuels
is that it is considered to be more toxic. However, exposure limits
for inhalation of methanol vapor are only slightly lowerthan those
for gasoline (200 ppm threshold limit value [TLV] formethanol
vapor; 300 ppm for gasoline vapor). Since gasoline is much more
volatile than methanol, it is likely that more gasolinevapors
will be generated for an equivalent spill volume and therefore
are more likely to be hazardous to the persons exposed. An other
general property of methanol is the low flame luminosity of a
pure (M-100) methanol fire.

This makes it difficult to see the fire or even estimate its
size, particularly if it occurs in bright daylight. The methanol
blends (M-85) have increased visibility to a certain degree because
the burning of the gasoline fraction produces some luminance.Another
negative aspect of interest is the relative vapor density of methanol
compared to air; methanol vapor is heavier than air.Therefore
the vapor will tend to accumulate at ground level or in low-lying
areas such as maintenance pits.

If the methanol vapor is not quickly dissipated through adequate
ventilation, it will linger in the low-lying areas creating an
increasing opportunity for exposure to an ignition source andfire.

Fire Hazards During Transport Storage of Methanol One specific
issue that must be considered is the possible use of materials
that may not be methanol compatible in the tanker truck.

This could become a problem if there is a long-term exposureof
methanol to seals and gaskets that may deteriorate and becomesubject
to leaks. One physical characteristic of methanol that is an important
fire hazard consideration during both transport and storage is
the combination of vapor pressure and flammability limits. For
M-100, vapor/air mixtures are potentially flammableat volume concentrations
ranging from6.7 to 36 percent. In a fuel or storage tank, a methanol
liquid temperature between 10C to43C(approximately 50F to 110F)
at standard atmospheric pressure will create a flammable vapor/air
mixture.

Therefore any ullage space in a container or storage tank thatis
vented to the atmosphere will contain flammable vapor-air mixturesat
normal ambient temperatures found in transpo